There will be a second Lancaster bomber in flying condition in the next couple of years but the newest one will likely never leave the ground. The Canadian Aviation Museum says it’s expecting the restoration of the aircraft to be complete in April of 2024, the 100th anniversary of the RCAF. It will be a fully functioning aircraft but flying it will be too expensive. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton has a flying Lanc and there’s another one operated by the Royal Air Force in the U.K.
Since the Windsor plane will likely not fly, the museum is looking for a prominent indoor space to display the Lancaster, which won’t fit through the doors of the restoration hangar after the wings are on. The aircraft was on a plinth in Windsor until the museum adopted it in 2005 and commenced the restoration. So far, $1.5 million has been spent on the restoration and there’s another half million dollars to go. “We have most of the parts we need to finish the aircraft, probably 98 per cent,” said Don Christopher, museum president and restoration project director.